Review: St. Vincent – St. Vincent

St. Vincent’s Love This Giant album with Talking Heads legend David Byrne was this writer’s introduction to her eccentric charms, and a mighty impressive one at that.

From listening to her self-titled fourth album, it seems we perhaps hadn’t given her enough credit for her role in it all – St. Vincent is teeming with the kind of rubbery, colourful electronics and rumbling, crumply beats that illuminated Love This Giant, while sharing a predilection for draping sweet melodies over them with a designer’s flair.

“Am I the only one in the only world?” we are asked on opener “Rattlesnake”, and verily – yes folks, verily – has she forged her own universe out of precisely this sort of delightful oddness.

However, there’s plenty more at play: the crunchy, mid-period Beatles 7th chords on “Birth in Reverse”, the harrumphing horns on funky single “Digital Witness”, the snatch of crazed a cappella concealed amidst “Bring Me Your Loves”, and such lyrical talking points as “Remember when we went and snorted / A piece of the Berlin Wall that you’d extorted” (from “Prince Johnny”).

Contrary to the violence and disruption of hope implied by its title, “Severed Crossed Fingers” brings St. Vincent to a close on a graceful, stately note – you know, just in case you still weren’t sure of the breadth of Annie Clark’s talents. This is fabulous stuff.